Happy New Year!!!

Wow it is hard to believe that 2009 has come and gone. I feel blessed to have had such a great year and hope you do too. I look forward to what God has in store for me and my family in 2010. I want to give a quick late Happy Birthday to my loved ones who celebrated in December. Todd's cousin Lana's husband Chris and his cousin Michael's wife Michelle both celebrated a birthday in December and I hope it was wonderful as did Todd's Aunt Mary Alice and Todd's best friend Jason, hope yalls birthday was wonderful too!

Well December came and the kids were so excited to celebrate Christmas. They love to decorate the tree.

We spent the Sunday before Christmas celebrating with Todd's family. First with his parents and brother:

We all got some great stuff including this:

Then after lunch we met up with the some more of Todd's family. His cousin's were in town with their kids so we celebrated with them for a little while:

After fun playing Amanda got a gingerbread house out to decorate. Only the girls helped. Well Dylan started out helping, but decided to go play:

On Christmas Eve my side of the family comes over for dinner and fun. It is great spending time with the people who mean most in your lives. Here are my parents grandchildren minus the oldest, my nephew Harley, who wasn't there:

The kids couldn't wait to open their presents:

The adults in my family do a white elephant gift exchange. You know were you pick numbers and then you can either open a gift from the center or you can steal one that someone else has already opened. It is a lot of fun, but we didn't do much stealing this year. The gift my dad opened had all kinds of goodies in it like these, isn't he cute:

After all the presents were opened and everyone was filled up on Mexican food, it was time to get ready for the arrival of Santa. Emily had made some reindeer food at school and sprinkled it out on the lawn:

Then off to bed the kids went. JT woke up very early the next morning, I think it was like 6:30 or so. I convinced him to lay back down for a little while longer til about 8:30, then we got up and the kids got all their stuff from Santa then it was time to open presents from mom and dad:

I believe everyone got what they wanted! Then we headed over to Mimi and Popsy's for some awesome (as usual) Christmas day food. Believe it or not, I didn't take my camera so no pictures. That night when we came home Aunt Sarah had left a gingerbread house kit at our house Christmas Eve for the kids to do so we did it Christmas night:

New Years Eve we didn't have a big party like we have had in years past as Todd had to get up and go to work early in the morning on New Years Day. We did have family over and cooked and played a little. The kids started off playing Lego Rock Band:

But it didn't take long for the big kids to kick them off so they could play Rock Band 2:

Then it was fireworks time:

We called it an early night and Todd went to bed, but the kids and I stayed up to watch the ball drop and ring in the New Year!

Aunt Christy had bought Dylan a pizza making experiment kit. On New Years Day Dylan wanted to do it. So we took it out and there were enough stuff to make 3 kinds of pizza's so he shared with his brother and sister:

JT had gotten and Ice Cream making kit which we did too, but I didn't get any pictures, we did both the vanilla and the strawberry, but vanilla was everyones favorite!

Now it is January 2010, that is hard to say. I feel like I just graduated high school and got married, it doesn't seem like it has been 15 years ago. In January we have many special birthdays so Happy late Birthday to Ken, who is on the 1st. Then Linus will celebrate his on January 8 and Saliah on January 10, and JT will turn 10 (wow, it doesn't seem possible, that my oldest baby will be 10 ) on January 11. Matthew B, will celebrate his on January 19, with Popsy and Uncle Mike turning another year older on January 24 and Vanessa on January 26. Hope everyones day is special and unforgettable.

Here is to a new year and hope that all your dreams come true. God bless each and everyone!

December

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is about ready for Christmas. We are! I can't believe it is almost the end of another year. What a year it has been! This month is always a crazy time of year and this year is no exception. Tomorrow will already be Christmas Eve. I thought I would share what has already gone on this far this month, because starting tomorrow I am sure I will busy and have TONS more pictures to share.

The kids had their Christmas party at school the Friday they got out early. Each kid had to bring penny presents (something small, not costing a lot like a candy cane, pencil, small toy, etc.) for each kid in their class. They made bags to hold their loot and then each kid brought a yummy snack to share. For Emily's class we brought turkey sandwiches:


Emily with her teacher:

and some of her friends from class:

Dylan's class (being the dual language class) did a Mexican Fiesta so we signed up for sodas and Todd made chicken and beef fajitas. Dylan with one of his teachers:

Dylan and one his best friends from his class:

Dylan waiting to get some yummy food:

JT's class had a variety of stuff. I think each kid got to bring his favorite thing. JT asked if he could bring our chocolate fountain, it was a big hit:

JT and one of his teachers:


JT eating a snack:

On Thursday before the last day JT's class got to make gingerbread houses. The teacher asked if I would come up and help. Of course I went, and after trying to help, I see why she asked. Even for 4th graders this was not easy. Here is what they started out with:

JT getting ready to start:

Trying to get the walls to stick. I didn't get a lot of pictures as it was hard to do once I got covered in frosting from trying to help everyone get their walls to stick:

Also on Thursday Emily's 1st grade class had a Polar Express read in. They got to wear their PJ's to school, they read the book and got hot chocolate. Here is her class in their PJs.

In class waiting for their hot chocolate:

Her cousin that is in her class wore the same PJs to school and we didn't even plan it:

On Wednesday, the week they got out, JT's 4th grade class put on a play of "A Christmas Carol". JT was Fred the nephew of Scrooge:

He had 10 parts to remember some of them were 3 or more sentences long, but he remembered them and did great once on stage.


Here his class takes a bow:

His class:

Now that regular soccer season is over the boys are now playing indoor soccer. This is their 3rd year to play and they love it. I tried to get some picture, but the lighting in the metal building where they play is bad. This is Dylan (in orange #2) kicking the ball:

JT (in orange #7) breaking away with the ball:

We did the end of season soccer party for the boys at our house on the day that is snowed here. It is easier to do it here so the kids can play and have fun. This was a great team and an awesome group of kids:

In case you didn't know it snowed here on December 4. I wasn't sure it would, so I sent the kids to school that morning. It started snowing like 5 minutes after I walked in the door from dropping them off. Here is the front of the house with it snowing:

As you can see it never really stuck, I think because it was so wet from the rain the days before so it would hit the wet spots and melt. Around lunch I got an automated call from our school district saying if you picked your kids up early they would be excused so I went and picked up the kids so they could play in it a little:

They had fun in it and only stayed out in it for about 5 minutes, then they were bored so we came in for hot chocolate!

That's our December so far, now it is on to Christmas. The kids are so excited they can't hardly wait. I am looking forward to spending time with the family. In case I don't get back on between now and then I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and New Years!